


aren't you a traveler?

by lisianthoma



Category: A Hat in Time (Video Game), Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware - Fandom
Genre: 1010 voice] baby i'm electrifying ELECTRIFYINGG, the tags get edited as it goes because i have never known god, yeah this is self indulgent. you cant stop me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-21 11:01:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30020775
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lisianthoma/pseuds/lisianthoma
Summary: au where gordon and the science team, after tommy's bday, ends up getting hired by gman and his employers. turns out they work to explore and document the multiverse beyond the single world the team knows.you've gotta do a job no matter what.(catch me over at @splatted-lisianthus on tumblr for general things i post or @bamboo-sun to talk about this fic and see me post more fics!)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. birds lie resting (part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> SO any fandoms i end up self indulgent crossovering uhh. this is ur warning- hlvrai is TECNICALLY rated m. so the characters from that series are free to say swears if they want to. ill preserve the language rating of original series but im not censoring the team, thats ur heads up.

“So. Let me get this straight.”

Gordon’s voice rang out through the void-tram louder than it should have. It was just him and G-Man right now, and the young scientist was tapping his prosthetic rhythmically, the sound filling the void’s silence. No one liked how quiet the void had a tendency to be.

“You want me- _me,_ of all the team, the idiot who caused the Resonance Cascade- to go. _Explore_ other universes?” He gestured to outside the tram, earning no response from G-Man. Irritating. “With- with _NO_ _ONE_ to accompany me. Just me alone in a whole different world and- why do you even want me to go?!”

“Calm… down, for a moment, please, Apprentice Freeman…” The older being spoke softly but his words still held a sharpness to them. “You will not… be, in harm’s way. Not while… you, are under my wing. It’s simply documenting… what is _there._ For future reference.”

“Future reference- future reference for _what_?! For your multiverse vacation-?! You're planning on taking the whole Science Team on vacation after they're done training?!”

G-Man narrowed his eyes slightly, sighing. “My _employers_ request that… as many ‘universes’ as possible be, documented. If not for themselves… I am unsure who for. But, they… nonetheless, request it. And I must oblige, Apprentice.”

Silence hung in the tram at that. Silence, nothing, not even the faint rattle of a tram moving through the void as it rested, doors shut. Gordon took a deep breath in, sitting in one of the seats to consider things.

“...I don't have a choice here, do I.”

“I am afraid, not. Your only choice… is the universe I picked, or a different one. Either way…”

“I have just as much on my plate no matter what.” Gordon paused, no longer tapping his prosthetic. “Why aren't _you_ the one exploring this universe if your fucking- employers or whatever. If they're so intent on getting data on the universes-”

“I explore, as well, Apprentice. I have been… debating, between two. I thought it would perhaps… be easier, if, I allowed you one of the choices.” He turned to the front of the tram, closing his eyes. “As an Apprentice… you _are_ obligated, to eventually, travel just as I do.”

Two of the familiar portals appeared on the wall, the faint green edges being dragged into the space where they led. Gordon moved forward slowly, placing a hand through the left portal and focusing. He could hear enthusiastic shouting from the other side, like a night club of sorts, music playing faintly as the muffled clack of a clapper board rang out.

He frowned and pulled his hand back out of the portal, shaking it off for no reason, then placing it through the other portal. He didn’t even have to close his eyes to feel the jolt of _sheer danger_ from wherever it led. Constant, endless hordes of monsters, needless deaths of subordinates and friends. He yanked his hand back out of the portal, shuddering.

“I- _fuck._ ” He breathes out, glancing towards G-Man. “That- the other universe there. On the right. There’s so _much._ You’re going to have to deal with that? If I go through the left portal?”

“I will be… fine, Apprentice. I leave the choice to you, for that reason.” He gestures to the two portals. A club and movies, versus an ongoing fight against monsters. “I would rather… you, pick a better world, for yourself… than I pick one for you, that you would. Rather not witness.”

Gordon stared at the right portal and grabbed at his prosthetic. The pain of that world… the needless violence, so similar to the events of escaping Black Mesa. He took a deep breath and stepped away from it, moving towards the left portal again.

“I- _fuck, man,_ I’m sorry for making you have to endure that- _whatever the HELL_ is on the other side of that portal there?” He gestures to the right portal, wincing. “But I- I really don’t think I can go there. Wherever there is. And you’re probably going to have to go there instead I-”

“ **Apprentice.** ” G-Man's voice rang louder than it should have and Gordon went dead silent. “I will… be _fine._ You do not, need, to apologize.” He takes a breath in shakily, then smiles, thin and unnatural. “Besides… isn't your energy spent, worrying, much better suited… for this ‘job’ of yours?”

“...okay. Yeah. You- you're right. Sorry.” Silence. Filling it, the faint sound of the tram walls rattling. Gordon turned and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in, then walking into the left portal. He felt the green close around him tightly-

And then he was gone.


	2. birds lie resting (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> watch out! that's a new universe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hlvrai can legally say fuck. the t rated cannot legally say fuck.

Great. He was falling.

Or, at least, it felt like he was falling.

The void’s muffled stars whizzed past Gordon like he was traveling horizontally, but his body was lurching itself downwards. He couldn’t really do much right now other than try and not feel sick, so he crossed his arms and just closed his eyes so that his senses didn’t disagree as much. Never had silence been more deafening until _now._

“Great. This is fine.” He grumbles, hesitantly reaching an arm out to feel the air around him. He didn’t know why he was talking to himself, but he was just trying to pass the time. “I’m not hating this at all. Please let me out soon.” 

No response from the void. As he felt his hand reach out of the void tunnel, it felt freezing cold. He shuddered and pulled it back into the void tunnel, opening his eyes for a second. It made his stomach lurch _hard_ but he held out, sighing, and fumbling to check his prosthetic was still in-tact and working right-

Oh fuck. When did he get the HEV suit back on. His outfit from before was just replaced by the HEV suit. His prosthetic was fine, it was still working right, but it almost seamlessly meshed with the HEV’s orange shell, making it seem as though he never lost the hand. There was a thin panel on his upper right arm, something that was never there before. Gordon frowned a bit, fumbling around the small panel to try and find a button to open it-

* * *

He felt air slamming past him suddenly. Not the air of the void, but _air._ Cold and sharp and _oh fuck, the ground._ The ground is there, it’s asphalt, it’s rough and approaching quickly-

**SLAM**

It felt like something _shattered,_ even with the HEV protecting him, and he bit his lip in pain instead of yelling out. Even trying to stifle his pain, he let out a shaky wheeze from the pain, eyes wide and vision blurry. Holy _shit_ did that hurt- why couldn’t it have been a gentle drop? From LESS HIGH UP? You know, so he DIDN’T feel pain? Jesus! He couldn’t even find it in him to move at all- it felt like his body was trapped from the pain, refusing to let him get up for a few seconds straight.

Once he finally could move, he pushed himself up with a groan, wincing. It barely hurt, all things considered- it should have hurt more but it didn’t. That was okay. He glanced at his upper right arm- the little panel had been dislodged a bit, sliding off slightly. It looked somewhat like a… screen was under it?

“What the hell?” Gordon murmured softly, forcing himself into a sitting position before pushing the panel up further- it slid off and stopped itself at a point. The little screen underneath had a strange circle on the display, with a thick rim around it cut into fourths. One of those fourths was shattered apart, with only blue shards left where it was on the display, and the number in the center of the circle was a ‘3.’

The HEV beeped faintly at him, and he grumbled. “Yeah, yeah. I'm hurt. This- weird display thing is my ‘health’ tracker now, I guess? I'm glad I muted the voice on this damn thing back in Black Mesa…” He stood up, looking around. He was on asphalt still, he recognized that on the fall down- it was late at night, surprisingly. The moon was so bright and full, he didn’t process it.

It seemed like he was in a parking lot, only a few cars left in the spots. The only building he could really see nearby was a… movie studio, it looked like. It didn’t have a name, only a logo on the building that looked to be some sort of bird skull, maybe? It was hard to tell. But in front of the movie studio, there was a giant sign in the distance- more like massive letters, really, displaying the name of the place.

“Dead Bird Studios.” 

The words felt strangely normal. Like they should have been wrong in some way, but they weren’t, they were _normal._ But that wasn’t really important right now- if there was a studio here, it would at least serve as a place to sleep the night off. Making sure the suit was still mostly in-tact, he made his way towards the entrance, taking note of the lights being on inside the building while he was approaching.

“Alright…” Gordon approached the glass doors as they slid open in front of him. “There better be, like- at least a bench in here. I’m tired of sleeping on the floor. Had enough of hurting my neck back in Black Mesa. Absolute shit…” He trudged down the hallway silently, then walked through the second door and glanced around.

The lobby was… surprisingly basic. On the left and right were glass display cases filled with trophies- the one on the right seemed to only have gold ones, while the one on the left had mostly silver, aside from two gold trophies that stuck out from the rest. Neither of the cases were labeled, but there were benches against the walls next to them, and they looked cushioned.

Shit, they looked miles better than sleeping on the floor again. He made his way over to one of the benches- on the right, with all the silver trophies- and pushed at it with his hands. Definitely cushioned, and surprisingly soft for a bench in a movie studio. He paused, then glanced towards the giant swinging doors across from the bench, on either side and next to the reception desk. 

“...sleeping can wait.”

He made his way over to the swinging doors and pushed them open slowly and quietly, looking around the backstage as he walked in. It was _grand._ If a movie studio was its own set, this was it. Props hung low from the ceiling, grand disco balls, and the floor was adorned with colorful led panels left and right! In some smaller areas, it almost looked like they took chunks of the actual moon and used it as set pieces. It was higher quality than anything they had back at his home town-

“ _DARLING!_ You’re definitely not supposed to be here- it’s incredibly late! Who even _are_ you...?”


	3. birds lie resting (part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a new friend...? how much exploring is he really meant to do?

“ _DARLING!_ You’re definitely not supposed to be here- it’s incredibly late! Who even _are_ you...?”

The voice was _wildly_ unfamiliar- Gordon remembered the panel on his arm. Quickly, he reached to slide it closed, the faint beeping of the HEV suit quieting down at that as he turned around, to see-

...a penguin? With platform shoes…? There. Really wasn’t much of a response _to_ have except for, “...huh?”

“Hmm. Are you new around here, darlin’? You’re not a penguin, and you seem lost-” The penguin’s eyebrows furrowed a little, a frown seeming to crease his beak.

“Oh- no no no! I’m- no, I’m fine- yeah, I’m new around here, but I was just- you know. Looking for a place to rest!” Gordon waved his hands exasperatedly, laughing. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to try and explore! He should have just taken a quick nap, over on the bench. He’s just going to make his way over that way now!

“Hey- woah, woah!” The penguin ran- _RAN?_ \- over, gently grabbing Gordon by the shoulders. “I ain’t mad at you, darling! I’m just wondering why you’re out here. It’s not exactly the safest to be back here in the studio, _especially_ when it’s this dark!” He seemed genuinely concerned. “Really, though, who are you?”

“Uh- Gordon. My name is Gordon Freeman.” He nervously glanced around- no one else was here but them. “I really do just- want to rest, real quick, if I can just- go lay down- uh, on the benches-”

“Gordon, hm? Handsome name, darlin’.” _Hello, conflicting emotions!_ “My name’s DJ Grooves. It’s nice to meet ya’!” Grooves backed away, holding out a flipper, smiling. “How about a handshake? I mean, if you’re headed to the sleep-zone soon, like you say you will be, might as well get meeting each other over with quick!”

“Oh- uh, alright!” _He seems friendly enough,_ Gordon thought. There wasn’t much hesitation as he shook the flipper, a small smile slipping onto his face. “I guess it’s nice to meet you too, then.”

That earned a chuckle from the penguin as he led Gordon back out to the lobby, but didn’t stop at a bench. As they walked back outside, the moon glinted above them at its peak, the sign with the studio’s name having turned off by now- the only light left in the parking lot was the stars in the sky.

Gordon couldn’t help but let go of Grooves’ flipper, looking up. There were so many more planets, stars, and the sky was so _clear_ compared to his normal universe. There were entire galaxies, distant moons of other planets, all visible in the sky here. It was like he was back on Xen, but with the familiarity of Earth still around him. It was beautiful. It was a sight he would constantly have wished to see as a kid, and here it is, before him, all in the sky _right now._

...he wondered if Bubby would have enjoyed this sight.

In the distance, he could hear DJ Grooves talking on a phone to someone.

“...no idea, little darlin’. He just showed up- might’ve fallen out of the sky, for all I know! ...you don’t mind if I stay the night on the ship as well, right? I’m just- ...yeah. No, darling, I know. I don’t think I can bring him up to the Moon, though- my home’s not at _all_ ready for guests!”

Gordon frowned a little and walked over, curious.

“The other little darlin’ won’t mind if we crash for a bit, right? ...okay, good. I’m sorry for callin’ you so late at night- do you mind coming down to bring us up to your ship?”

“Grooves?”

“One moment, darlin’- yeah, that’ll be good. Thank you, darling.” Grooves hung up, looking to Gordon with a smile. “What is it?”

“Who were you, uh- calling there, just now?” The apprentice’s eyebrows furrowed a little- whether it was the generally suspicious situation or the previous experiences he’s had with blind trust leading into his mind right now, he couldn’t tell. He was unarmed and just- blindly trusting this penguin? It only just hit him how bad a decision this could be.

“Just the little darlin’. Friend of that hatted one that came here, a while back, really- I remember the movies like it was yesterday! She brought her friend over, askin’ if we could shoot new movies and include her- let the little darling’s talent _shine!_ ”

“...none of that gives me a name, Grooves.”

“Ah- well, I don’t know her name. At least, her true name- she goes by the nickname of Bow Kid, though.”

“Wh- what do you _mean,_ no true name-?! It’s not that hard to-”

The two start a very petty and minor argument over names. There’s no true point to the argument, and you don’t get to hear any of it, but they get into a minor argument regardless.

* * *

In the distance, there’s a faint _pling!_ sound, and Iota stands up straight, checking her teleporter to make sure it’s configured for 3 people. She looks up, frowning a little at the arguing pair in the distance, and flicking the teleporter to be primed as she runs over.

“-there is no _REASONABLE_ way, that you can just- _NOT_ have a true name-!”

“I never said she didn’t have a true name, darlin’! I said I didn’t _know_ her true name-”

“ _HEY!!_ ” Iota yelled as loud as she could- startling both of the men out of the argument. “It’s Iota. Stop arguing. Anyways, you two ready to go?”

“...who are you?”

“For Time’s sake- Grooves, you didn't tell him what I even _looked like?_ ”

“I was a bit pre-occupied, darling.”

“You were arguing about _names._ ” Iota couldn't help but look disappointed. “Anyways. I’m Bow Kid! My name is Iota.”

“I. Yeah, I still don’t know who you are-” Gordon backed up a little from the kid, laughing a little out of nervousness. He was _not_ about to be kidnapped by a- well- kid!

“Oh boy... hey, Grooves, do you mind grabbing his hand for a sec?”

“Not at all, darlin’.” The man couldn’t help the jerk-away instinct when Grooves grabbed his prosthetic, but it was a gentle grab. Iota grabbed onto Grooves’ other flipper, and pressed a button, leading the world to go pitch black around the three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my master plan.  
> iota is bow kid's name because god is dead

**Author's Note:**

> "im gonna get to the first universe for real in this one chapter!" i said like a fool


End file.
